Options Slim if ASU Covets Transfer Quarterback
This week, quarterback JT Daniels found a new home at West Virginia.
The former Georgia passer was the biggest name left in the transfer portal after entering his name in the system on Jan. 19. After being a member of the Bulldogs team that won a national championship, the hope is for Daniels to replicate some of the same success for the Mountaineers.
Whether that can happen is up for debate, much like Arizona State's quarterback room.
The departure of Jayden Daniels sent the Sun Devils for quite a spin. Never mind fans' thoughts and evaluations of how he played in 2021. The fact is ASU was banking on his presence on the field moving forward.
Spring practice has come and gone for Arizona State, as the Sun Devils had 15 practices to get further evaluations on front-runners such as Trenton Bourguet and Paul Tyson.
Five quarterbacks are on ASU's roster, yet the competition was essentially confirmed by offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas to be between Bourguet and Tyson.
That's not a surprise, at least to those with any pulse on Sun Devils football.
However, a surprising remark was made by head coach Herm Edwards on the first day of spring ball, when he suggested Arizona State just might still be in the market for a new passer.
"Is the quarterback here? Is he not here? We don't know that. Hopefully he's in the building. If not, there's always plan B (the transfer portal)," said Edwards on March 16.
"I always said, a plan that can't be changed is a bad plan. So if you have a plan doing something and it has to be changed, you better be in a position to change it. And so we'll be in position to do what we have to do to make sure we get the best quarterback to play the position."
The Sun Devils already have one transfer quarterback in Tyson, who migrated from the great program of Alabama. Edwards said following the spring showcase Arizona State had about seven scholarships left to award.
This is where Daniels' emergence at West Virginia comes full circle: What starting quality quarterbacks are still on the market?
If there were any year for the Sun Devils to welcome a quarterback in the portal, this would have been their golden opportunity. Players such as Bo Nix, Caleb Williams, Jaxson Dart, Quinn Ewers, Kedon Slovis, Cameron Ward and Spencer Rattler (who All Sun Devils confirmed with sources there was mutual interest between the two sides) were just some of the top names on the market.
Now, the Sun Devils are looking at scraps should they be looking to add to the mix.
Florida's Emory Jones now stands as the last viable option for Arizona State, as the rest of the unofficial free agents in the portal come with more questions than answers.
In March, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Arizona State was one of the early teams to show interest in Jones, citing how multiple coaches followed him on Twitter after the announcement.
For what it's worth, as of April 16, Jones is following six different ASU coaches (yes, this is reporting in 2022) on Twitter.
Arizona State is on its last leg and swinging for the fences. The options, even with Jones leading the transfer portal quarterback race, are slim.
It will be interesting to monitor how the Sun Devils approach the portal in the coming months, especially if Jones lands elsewhere.
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